


the sun shines again

by steviewrites



Series: art freaks [1]
Category: Mean Girls - Richmond/Benjamin/Fey
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Animals, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Friendship, Multi, Some Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:54:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23352772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/steviewrites/pseuds/steviewrites
Summary: when cady starts missing her life in kenya, damian and janis know just how to help.
Relationships: Cady Heron & Damian Hubbard, Cady Heron & Damian Hubbard & Janis Sarkisian, Cady Heron & Janis Sarkisian, Damian Hubbard & Janis Sarkisian
Series: art freaks [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1679641
Comments: 4
Kudos: 26





	the sun shines again

**Author's Note:**

> my first art freaks-centric story! hope it brightens your day as much as it did mine while writing it.
>
>> **chad!damian** \+ **olivia!janis** \+ **sabrina!cady**

Janis and Damian arriving in homeroom before Cady does comes as a shock to both of them. They share an equally puzzled, furrowed brow look prior to taking their seats, the same thought going through their heads: where in the world is the ever-punctual Cady Heron?

They’re starting to get concerned when the door opens one last time and their small friend appears, clad in one of her mom’s hoodies with her unbrushed hair pulled up into a haphazard bun. Hands clasped under his chin, Damian glances at Janis skeptically, and she shrugs, unsure what to make of it, either.

“Oh, Cady,” their teacher greets, and Cady seems a bit startled that she’s being addressed. It _is_ barely seven in the morning, after all. “Just in time for attendance.”

“Right, sorry,” she says softly, shutting the door and scurrying to her desk behind Damian’s. Him and Janis turn towards her simultaneously, watching her sink onto her seat like she’s been walking for hours and her legs are giving out.

“Jesus, did you sleep?” Janis asks in a low voice, thinking Cady roughly resembles a zombie but not saying that aloud to spare her feelings. Cady is clearly not in a joking mood.

“Yeah,” Cady replies, then yawns widely. “Still tired, though.”

Janis pouts sympathetically as Damian pats Cady on the head. That gets a smile out of her, albeit a sleepy one.

But they notice she sort of shrinks into herself as first period drones on, zoning out to bite her nails or just completely not paying attention at all. Janis even catches her sketching something in the margins of her notebook at one point, and it looks vaguely like a giraffe.

Ironically, Cady is the first to leave when the bell rings, and her best friends watch her in mute surprise yet again as she zips out the door.

Damian looks to Janis with a panicky look on his face, and Janis tries to make hers appear a bit braver for his sake.

The hours until lunch are long and stressful, for Cady dips in and out of the classes she shares with either of them before they get a chance to really talk to her. At noon, the pair meet up at Janis’s locker, equally nervous but also determined to figure out what the hell is going on.

“She’s not in the cafeteria,” Damian sighs, mirroring Janis’s tensely folded arms. “I checked Norbury’s room, but she hasn’t seen her.”

Janis chews her pinkie nail contemplatively for a minute, then rolls her eyes at how obvious it is. “Come on,” she mutters, seizing Damian’s plaid shirt sleeve and tugging him in the direction of the nearest bathroom.

Sure enough, Janis recognizes Cady’s little boots when she bends over to peek under the doors for her. She knocks, since poor Damian is too anxious to do much of anything.

“Please leave a message after the beep,” a sniffly voice requests meekly. “ _Beeeep_.”

“I can’t,” Damian whispers, looking close to tears.

“It’s okay,” Janis whispers, hand on his arm, then says to Cady, “It’s just us. Can we help?”

A brief pause, then a reluctant sigh. Cady unlocks the door and lets it swing open, revealing her perch on the edge of the toilet as she stuffs her uneaten sandwich back in her bag.

“Hi,” she mumbles lethargically, and they wave.

“Wanna talk about it?” Janis offers, and she shrugs.

“I’m just sad,” she admits, unable to make eye contact, feeling weird about crying in front of them. “That’s all. I’ll live.”

“Yeah, but why are you sad, small one?” Damian croons, picking her backpack up off the dirty floor to hold it for her, wanting to feel helpful somehow.

Cady is quiet again, face hardening as she tries not to burst into tears. “I miss home,” is what she ultimately confesses, and bites her lip. “I miss Kenya. I don’t know why I’m so sad all of a sudden about it. It’s like it’s hit me a year later that I’m not there anymore. And I dunno when or if I’m ever gonna get to go back.”

Her voice tightens and she dabs at her eyes with her sleeve. Janis squeezes into the space to lean down for a hug, an instinctive reaction to Cady looking even slightly distressed.

“You will, babe,” she assures, cheek on her shoulder. “If that’s where you wanna be, you’ll find a way to get back there. It’s not impossible.”

“I know,” Cady mutters thickly, sniffing. “I just miss the animals. My lions.”

“They miss you, too,” Damian insists, trying very hard to keep it together. He’s just so fond of Cady and they’re so close now that feeling what she feels is like breathing.

“Thanks,” Cady says quietly, but sincerely. Janis lets go then, not wanting to suffocate her.

“It’s okay to feel sad, Caddy,” she reminds her, tugging her hair out of its messy bun to redo it for her. “Doesn’t matter how long it’s been. Home is home.”

“Yeah.” Cady looks down at her hands in her lap. “To think I was so ready to leave, and now all I wanna do is go back.”

“You will,” Janis reiterates kindly. “When you’re meant to. You’ll know when, I think.”

Damian nods in agreement, and Cady takes Janis’s hand when she offers it to help her up. “I hope,” she sighs, giving Janis a proper hug, then Damian before accepting her bag and saying, “I’m gonna go try to feel like a normal person and spend time with my human friends.”

Janis puts an arm around her neck. “Good plan. Let’s all split some cheese fries.”

* * *

“I love her so much,” Damian moans empathetically as he and Janis walk into her basement. “I hate seeing her so sad.”

“I know,” Janis sighs, dumping her backpack on her dad’s old recliner. She grabs drinks from the mini fridge and Damian glumly accepts his. “We should do something.”

Sipping his grape soda, Damian ponders the possibilities of what they could do for Cady. “Oh, we could have a sleepover and watch wildlife documentaries. You know how excited she gets seeing the baby animals.”

Janis hums in approval, but it doesn’t seem like the perfect solution. They wander to the couch and sink onto the gradually deteriorating cushions, putting their feet up on the ottoman in sync.

There’s a stretch of silence as they try to think, both weighed down by the memory of Cady’s pained voice in the bathroom. They understand, though; surely it must be strange to remember your old life that changed in the blink of an eye. No matter how ready she was for a new adventure, she still had to say goodbye to all she’d ever known.

Janis is starting to wonder if they should just let Cady mourn in peace when Damian gasps and exclaims, “Oh, the zoo! We should take her to the zoo.”

Not necessarily a bad idea, but Janis is instantly concerned that’ll only make her feel worse. “Don’t you think seeing the animals would actually _not_ be helpful?”

“No,” Damian retorts. “Why would it? She said she misses them. If we took her, she could get to see some, even if they aren’t _her_ animals, y’know? I’m sure she’d love it. It’s better than nothing, I think. It’s worth a try.”

Janis chews the inside of her cheek. Well, he’s not wrong. But it could go either way, and she doesn’t want to be the cause of a full-on breakdown or something.

“C’mon, we’ll surprise her,” Damian insists. In his mind, there’s no better option, and maybe there isn’t. Janis peers at him doubtfully, hoping he’s right, and ultimately gives in with a nod. “Yay! We won’t tell her, though. We’ll go this weekend.”

“Alrighty,” Janis agrees, just wanting the best for Cady, and they bump their cans together.

* * *

They give Cady some space the rest of the week, allowing her time alone with whatever she’s feeling. Come Saturday morning, Janis pulls up to Damian’s apartment building, where he comes out in a classic dad-on-vacation fit: Hawaiian shirt, cargo shorts, and a visor.

“You look like her dad,” Janis comments bluntly as he climbs into her truck.

“I know, this is his shirt,” he replies cheerfully, and Janis stares at him until he realizes she’s waiting for an explanation. “What? I go to her house a lot.”

“And you steal her father’s clothes? Dude.”

He folds his arms and refuses to speak to her the entire drive to Cady’s house. Janis finds it a little weird that he’s wearing Cady’s dad’s clothes, but reminds herself him and Cady have their own bond outside of the trio. They’ve become like siblings, so if he wears her dad’s shirt, so be it.

At the Heron residence, Janis parks in the driveway and she and Damian bound up to the front door. They both have a key, but since Cady’s parents are home, they decide it’d be more polite to just knock. Her mom answers, appearing surprised to see them.

“Hi, guys,” she says. “Cady didn’t tell us you were coming over. She’s still asleep…”

“Oh, we know.” Damian waves a hand. “We’re taking her to the zoo, but it’s a surprise.”

“Oh!” Mrs. Heron smiles. “That’s so sweet. I’m sure she’ll appreciate that, she’s been a little down lately. Missing Africa and all. Well, come on in, help yourself to some cinnamon buns, I just made some… I’ll go wake her up.”

They thank her and step inside, where they can now see Cady’s dad lounging in the living room. “Oh, hey, kids,” he greets in his loud dad voice, and Janis waves awkwardly. “Lookin’ sharp, Damian. Nice shirt.” He narrows his eyes then, realizing. “Is that mine?”

Janis hides her smile behind her hand as Damian turns as pink as the flowers on his shirt.

He’s struggling to come up with an explanation as to why they both own the exact same extra-large hibiscus-print button-up when Mrs. Heron returns to tell them Cady is awake.

“Y’know, I thrifted it, I just remembered,” Damian is finally saying as Janis drags him up the steps by the arm, shaking her head in disbelief.

Upstairs, Janis quietly nudges open Cady’s door. “Heyyy,” she says cautiously. “It’s me.”

“I’m here, too,” Damian has to add, looming behind her.

In her bed, Cady sits up, hair sticking out in every direction, to peer at them like they’re ghosts manifesting in her doorway. “It is nine in the morning,” she states gruffly.

“So it is,” Janis replies pleasantly, peeking at her alarm clock. “Good morning.”

Cady looks at Damian, also taking note of his attire. “Is that my dad’s shirt?”

“Maybe,” he confesses curtly. “Um, anyway, good morning! We have a surprise for you! But you have to get dressed and leave the house. It’s an adventure.”

Cady groans like she’s been stabbed. “You mean I have to put on pants?”

“Your reluctance is rubbing off on her,” Damian mutters to Janis, who smacks his arm.

“You can wear whatever you want,” Janis reassures. “But, uh, we think you’re gonna have a lot of fun. But you gotta trust us and not ask questions.”

“But I like asking questions,” Cady mumbles, since there is ever so much to learn all the time.

“Well, don’t,” Janis repeats. “Now come on, get up, get dressed, we’ve got one stop to make first and then we’ll be on our way. Wear comfy shoes, too, there’s gonna be a lot of walking. But, you know, it’s worth it. Chop, chop, little monkey.”

Cady scoffs and rolls her eyes, but finally climbs out of bed, unable to say no to their happy faces. She boops them both on the nose then shuffles to her closet, making a shooing motion so they’ll leave. In the hall, Damian holds his hand up for a high five, but Janis smushes his face instead.

Cady comes downstairs ten minutes later, hair tamed and clad in shorts and a t-shirt, yellow backpack on her shoulder. “Okay, I am ready,” she announces apprehensively.

Cady’s parents tell them to have fun and be safe. She kisses them goodbye then follows Janis and Damian out the door, slipping her hands into theirs.

“Can I ask where we’re going first?” she pipes up once they’re buckled in the cab, curiosity getting the better of her.

“Breakfast,” Janis informs her, both she and Damian still hungry despite the embarrassing amount of cinnamon buns they consumed while waiting for her.

“Yay,” Cady murmurs, setting her backpack at her feet, already starting to smile again.

* * *

“I am stuffed,” Damian gushes as they exit their favorite pancake house an hour later.

“Like a teddy bear,” Cady teases, poking his tummy, and he tackles her, growling like a grizzly and spinning her in a circle til she laugh-shrieks for him to stop. Hearing her laugh after over a week is like music to both his and Janis’s ears.

They set off for the city with Cady still being in the dark, but in a better mood now that she’s consumed her weight in blueberry pancakes. She pesters Janis and Damian back and forth with many questions and guesses as to where they’re going, but they remain tight-lipped, occasionally sharing furtive glances over her head.

“Okay, now we’re here,” Cady states once they’re at a stoplight on the road leading directly into downtown. “Ummm. Oh! Are we going to a museum?”

“Nope,” Janis chuckles, then gives Damian the signal.

He gladly pulls out the tie in his tote bag, and Cady eyes it, dumbfounded. “Sorry, hon,” he says sweetly. “Gotta make sure the surprise isn’t spoiled before we get there.”

“Aw, what?” Cady pouts, but lets Damian wrap it around her eyes and tie it in the back. She crosses her arms with a little huff. “You guys are weird.”

“You love us,” Janis teases, and Cady dramatically rolls her eyes in a way that they can tell.

She gives them the silent treatment the rest of the way, but she would’ve noticed the exit signs that say CHICAGO ZOO, so it’s for the best.

“Please tell me this isn’t another stoplight,” she grumbles as the truck stalls to an actual park.

Damian snickers gleefully as he and Janis climb out of the truck first, then he reaches in to grasp Cady’s hands and help her out. Janis grabs her bag for her per her request, then they both take one of her hands to guide her to the entrance.

“Okay, ya ready?” Janis asks when they get there. Damian is practically vibrating.

When Cady nods, Damian pulls off the blindfold, and Cady is met with the white brick walls and metal arch above the open gates. It takes her a second to drink it all in, but then she sees the letters that spell out “Lincoln Park Zoo” on the wall and her hands fly to her mouth.

“Oh!” she cries, even more emotional when she realizes the nearby statue is of a lion. “Wh—I—oh my— _guys_ , what the heck?”

“Surprise!” Janis yells, spreading her arms, while Damian dabs at his eyes with his sleeve. He will always have a reason to cry over how much he loves Cady Heron.

“You said you missed your animals,” Janis explains, sounding a little rough herself. “We know this isn’t Kenya, but we hope it’s good enough for now.”

Cady is speechless now, but despite the daylight, there’s stars in her eyes. “You guys are the best ever. I love you so much.”

A group hug ensues, not unlike the one they had after Spring Fling when they all left together to get pancakes. That turned out to be a good night, and today is already an even better day.

Once the love fest is temporarily put on hold, they head for the ticket office, where Cady grabs a map and eagerly opens it up. There’s so much to see, it makes sense now why they came to get her so early in the morning. Janis and Damian insist she lead the way, and after a minute of cajoling, Cady accepts the responsibility, and they’re soon following her towards the bird house.

They take more pictures of Cady than the animals themselves, and are happy to go wherever and see whatever she wants. Sometimes she’ll stop and sit on a bench to observe certain animals, like the elephants and giraffes, and chatters away about the stories she has of the ones she met back in Kenya. A lot of it is stuff they haven’t heard before, because there’s just so much to share. And her friends are great listeners.

She’s beaming the entire time, thrilled to be back in the presence of these furry friends. Like a kid on Christmas, this is everything she wants, with people she loves. It might not be her old home, but it’s a home for animals she still cares about.

They decide to get a snack at one point, figuring they’ll try what’s at the frozen yogurt stand. Janis and Damian are arguing over which flavor they think will taste better when Janis realizes Cady’s missing; like a panicked mother, she whips around to look for her, grabbing Damian’s arm. He points down the only path that Cady could’ve taken, so they anxiously follow it.

Janis nearly doubles over in relief when they spot her up ahead, standing as close as she can to an enclosure’s fence. When they approach, the significance of her attention being drawn away from food becomes apparent, and Damian’s throat gets thick all over again.

She’s so small, standing there by herself watching the lions. A few lionesses sprawl on the big rocks, laying together in the sun; and a giant male sits nearest to Cady, blinking against the light, just chilling quietly as the breeze ruffles his mane.

Janis hugs Damian’s arm and leans her head on his shoulder, not bothering to hide her tears. Lions are Cady’s favorite, and likely the ones she was missing the most. To finally be reunited in a way must mean the world to her.

Cady is still and silent, unable to take her eyes off the beautiful big cats. But even from the distance, her friends can see she’s content, for her shoulders aren’t hunched and she just radiates the vibe of someone who, for the first time in a while, feels like themselves again.

That was today’s mission: to offer her some peace from the separation she’s been feeling. They want her to go to bed tonight happy, and comforted, and filled with hope. And if her rapt, awed attention for the lions is any indication, she already is.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! kudos and comments are fetch ♡
>
>> **find me:**   
>  [twitter](https://twitter.com/wantingmylove)   
>  [tumblr](https://cadyjanis.tumblr.com)


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